Insight From Balaam’s Prophecy #1–Blessing & Cursing

Introduction: Although I consider Balaam to be a prophet who fell from grace according to 2 Pet. 2:15, Jude 11 and Rev. 2:14, I believe his prophecy recorded in Num. 23-24 was inspired by God (see 23:5, 16; 24:2). As such, it contains some very important truths.

At the time when Balaak wanted to curse Israel through the prophet Balaam, Israel was being obedient to God. Therefore God’s blessing was among them (Num. 23:21). Balaam was not permitted to curse them.

Insight #1 — No one can curse someone God has not cursed. God only curses those who deserve to be cursed. God decides who is blessed and who is cursed.

How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? And how shall I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced? (Num. 23:8)

Like a flitting sparrow, like a flying swallow, So a curse without cause shall not alight. (Prov. 26:2)

The cursed includes idolaters, those who dishonor their parents, thieves, those who lead others astray, those who pervert justice or oppress the weak, the sexually immoral, those who slay the innocent (including aborting parents and their murderous “doctors”), and those who disregard God’s law in any other way (Deut. 27-28). Scripture also declares that the proud (Psa. 119:21), those who trust in man or flesh rather than God (Jer. 17:5), and those who care nothing for the “least of these” (Matt. 25:41) are cursed.

In the charismatic church, I have noticed a strange paranoia that is identical to what is seen among remote superstitious pagans who feel they must make certain offerings or perform certain rituals in order to keep from being cursed. It is not uncommon for a professing Christian to surmise that some person has cursed them, and to blame all unfortunate events on this curse. Sometimes the Christian will feel they must give money to a ministry or make a trip to a certain place to get free of the curse. One such couple I knew believed a neighbor must be cursing them, or else the car would not have broken down, and the woman would not have tripped and cut her head open on a rock. They spent their time wondering where the curse was coming from, and had no peace.

False teachers take advantage of this ignorance of God’s Word, and exploit the gullible to gain followers and money. Just as a witchdoctor gets paid to keep his devotees “blessed” through witchcraft, these sophisticated liars sell thousands of dollars worth of books and cd’s which supposedly offer “the keys to success” their followers are convinced they need. It is the same deception re-packaged; there is nothing new under the sun. The only key to success is obedience to God’s Word, and this is a message we are to freely give to all.

I have also seen false teachers “curse” anyone who questions their doctrine, so as to insulate themselves from proper scrutiny. Do not be deceived. We are to examine every teaching carefully by God’s Word and warn others if it deviates. If you love God and obey His teaching, you will not be cursed. Neither will you be cursed for judging a man’s words by Scripture. However the godly will suffer trials and/or persecution in this life (2 Tim. 3:12; Acts 14:22).

Conversely, if you disregard God’s Word, you will be cursed, and no rituals or offerings will deliver you from reaping what you sow.

There is also gross ignorance in the church regarding the blessing or cursing of nations. Many think our nation can abort children, spread pornography and false teachings all over the globe, love violence and every kind of sexual perversion, neglect the proper teaching of our children, and yet still be blessed if only we do certain religious things right (such as “go to church” or “vote conservative” or “support Israel militarily.”) This is a lie. As a nation, we are reaping exactly what we have sown, and we will continue to reap what we sow. God is not bought off by hypocritical prayers offered by public officials. He is not blinded to what we are doing by religious rituals. America will continue to fall until she is destroyed, unless she repents. All nations that forget God are turned into hell, without exception (Psa. 9:17). But any individual who turns to God in repentance can be saved from this perverse generation (Acts 2:40), just as some Jews turned to Christ and were saved, while their countrymen continued to rebel until they were destroyed.

How about the blessing of God on the corporate Church? The proud American, apostate church (not the true disciples who are walking in the truth) is largely responsible for this nation’s destruction, and she is cursed. She was supposed to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, but she has followed after the same idols loved by the world. She wants earthly power (dominion), earthly riches and the praises of wicked men (woe to her). The light within her is darkness, her testimony is hypocritical, her adulterous heart is divided. She has been a friend of the world–perverting God’s truth lest she bear the shame of the cross–and made herself an enemy of God. Yet she throws a few crumbs of false devotion to God and expects His blessing. She is deceived and is deceiving others! Many are her false teachers, like unclean birds in a cage, squawking out their lies: Give us money, and you will be blessed! Support other ungodly, Christ-rejecting nations with the arm of the flesh, and you will be blessed! Look at our financial prosperity–see how blessed we are! We have need of nothing! Look what our programs are doing! Look how beautiful our buildings are!

And all the while, because of SIN, the people are cursed and under strong delusion. Their money will soon fly away, their programs will be exposed as not being founded on God’s Word, and their buildings will become rubble.

BUT–those members of Christ’s Church whose “house” is founded on obedience to God’s Word will endure! (Matt. 7:24-25)

In summary, those who love and obey God’s Word will be blessed, and those who hate and disobey God’s Word will be cursed. God has decided this, and no one can circumvent it.

The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, but He blesses the home of the just. (Prov. 3:33)